Advent Concert of ZDF

Nicholas Collon

Born in London, Nicholas Collon is a violist, pianist and organist by training, and studied as Organ Scholar at Clare College, Cambridge. As a conductor, he is recognized for his elegant conducting style, searching musical intellect and inspirational music-making. He is Chief Conductor of the Finnish Radio Symphony, Founder and Principal Conductor of the Aurora Orchestra. From 2016-2021 he was Chief Conductor of the Residentie Orkest in Den Haag and was Principal Guest Conductor of Gürzenich-Orchester from 2017-2022.

Collon has conducted over 250 new works, including the UK or world premieres of works by Unsuk Chin, Brett Dean, Phillip Glass, Colin Matthews, Anna Meredith, Nico Muhly, Olivier Messiaen, Krzysztof Penderecki, Mark-Anthony Turnage, Judith Weir, and Du Yun. He is a regular guest of the Bamberg Symphony and BBC Philharmonic orchestras, the latter of whom he will conduct at the 2024 BBC Proms, and has also conducted DSO Berlin, ORF Radio-Symphonieorchester Wien, Netherlands Radio Philharmonic, Philharmonia Orchestra, London Philharmonic, New World Symphony Orchestra, Minnesota Symphony Orchestra, City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra and Chamber Orchestra of Europe amongst many others.

His first CD release with the Finnish Radio Symphony in Spring 2022 received 5-star reviews in Finland and internationally; in Autumn 2022 they released a CD of works by Thomas Adès which won a Diapason d'Or, and they have since released two further CDs of works by Wennäkoski and Bacewicz. Past recordings have included discs for Deutsche Grammophon and Warner with the Aurora Orchestra, with whom he won the Echo Klassik Award for ‘Klassik Ohne Grenzen’ in 2015; and discs with the Danish Radio Symphony, Philharmonia and Hallé orchestra.

Opera productions have included Peter Grimes and Don Giovanni for Oper Köln, Magic Flute at English National Opera, Jonathan Harvey’s Wagner Dream at Welsh National Opera, Rape of Lucretia for Glyndebourne Touring Opera, and Turn of the Screw at the Aldeburgh Festival with Aurora Orchestra.